AccuWeather: Three U.S. hurricane strikes this year

AccuWeather.com predicts a busy storm season with 16 named storms, including eight hurricanes, with four of those being major.

The online weather site also projects that three hurricanes will strike the U.S. coastline, with the East and Gulf coasts being most vulnerable.

It also noted that Florida “is long overdue” for a hurricane hit, as the state hasn’t been struck in a record seven seasons. And it projects that the first storm will develop in the Caribbean by June.

"We think that this year will be more in line with a typical active season," Dan Kottlowski, AccuWeather’s senior meteorologist, said Wednesday.

Kottlowski said warm waters in the Atlantic, relaxed wind shear and reduced episodes of Saharan dust should make for an active season.

He said the storms should be overall stronger than they were last year, with the hurricanes likely to be Category 2 or stronger.

AccuWeather joins Phil Klotzbach and William Gray in forecasting a considerably busier than normal storm season. In April, the two Colorado State University climatologists projected 18 named storms, including nine hurricanes, four major.

The average season sees 12 named storms, including six hurricanes, three major, with winds greater than 110 mph.